Indigenous Carving Shed
Conceptual Design
Client: Canoe Cultures
Vancouver, BC.
Completed 2025
The permanent, purpose-built space will allow Indigenous artists to undertake large- scale carving projects such as canoes and poles, while also serving as an active site for public engagement, school visits, and cultural demonstrations. The shed addresses a critical need for safe, accessible spaces where Indigenous artists can work with culturally significant materials and methods. It also creates space for Indigenous mentorship, education, and public dialogue, bridging traditional knowledge with contemporary urban spaces.
The conceptual design of the Indigenous Carving Shed was prepared via a Feasibility Study Phase. The phase consisted of several site visits; conversations with professional canoe building artists; visits to canoe building workshops in Vancouver and North Vancouver; research and reference to Coast Salish vernacular architecture; and multiple review meetings with Canoe Cultures along the design process.
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